Shapps claims ‘this is not unusual’ ahead of emergency Cobra meeting on Dover December 21, 2020 Boris Johson will hold a meeting with the government’s emergency committee this morning after France closed its border with the UK following a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus in the South East of England. Last night the French government banned all travel from the UK for 48 hours, including freight drivers. The move comes [...]
Break: Government freezes quarantine list for Christmas period but US Virgin Islands fall foul December 17, 2020 The Government has added Uruguay, Namibia and the US Virgin Islands to the list of countries returning passengers must quarantine after visiting. But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said there will be more changes to the quarantine list until January 7th, mitigating the chance of travel chaos over Christmas, unless it is an “emergency.” No [...]
British Airways to stop flights to Sydney and Abu Dhabi amid Covid downturn December 17, 2020 British Airways is axing its direct flights to more than a dozen destinations, including Sydney and Abu Dhabi, as it trims its schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UK flag carrier will cut non-stop flights to 13 destinations from the summer, with others to be suspended for six months. From the beginning of March, [...]
US airlines near new $17bn payroll aid package December 17, 2020 US airlines are nearing a new $17bn (£12.5bn) package to keep workers on the books as part of a $900bn stimulus scheme for the world’s largest economy. A prior programme worth $25bn ran out at the end of September, forcing carriers to put tens of thousands of employees on unpaid leave. The new deal would [...]
Crossrail failed to carry out survey work on historic Soho venue despite ‘high risk’ to punters December 16, 2020 Crossrail failed to carry out survey work on a historic cellar bar in Soho despite receiving warnings from its own contractors that weak vaults posed a “high residual risk” to punters. The report, which was carried out in 2016 by consultants WSP and has been seen by City A.M., says that the vaults in the [...]
CMA investigating airlines over lack of refunds for cancelled flights December 16, 2020 The UK’s competition watchdog has announced that it will investigate the country’s airlines over their failure to offer refunds to customers who could not fly due to the pandemic. As a result of travel restrictions due to coronavirus, thousands of passengers have had their flights cancelled over the course of the year. Consumer groups have [...]
Rail fares to rise above inflation for first time in eight years December 16, 2020 Rail fares will rise above inflation for the first time in eight years next year, although the hike will be delayed until March. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that fares would be hiked 2.6 per cent next year, despite calls to freeze ticket prices in a bid to encourage people back onto trains after [...]
Supreme Court gives Heathrow third runway the green light December 16, 2020 The Supreme Court has this morning ruled that Heathrow’s controversial third runway expansion plans can go ahead. The verdict means that the UK’s highest court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s February decision to block the £14bn project on environmental grounds. However, in a year in which air travel has plummeted to historic lows due [...]
UK firms see ‘severe pressure’ on supply chains ahead of Brexit deadline December 16, 2020 UK manufacturing firms faced “severe pressure” on their supply chains in December ahead of the Brexit deadline, causing shortages of crucial parts, a survey has shown. It comes after 10-mile lorry queues were witnessed in Calais over the weekend, as businesses tried to stockpile in case of a no-deal Brexit. Britain and the EU are [...]
Mobility firm Bolt raises €150m in biggest ever funding round December 16, 2020 Mobility firm Bolt this morning announced that it had raised €150m (£135m) from investors as the battle to take control of the urban transport market hots up. The firm, which is London’s second biggest ride-hailing app, said that the funding round was its biggest yet. Bolt follows fellow mobility firms Tier and Voi in raising [...]